Detecting damaged semiconductor wafers utilizing a semiconductor wafer sorter tool of an automated materials handling system

ABSTRACT

A device may detect a semiconductor wafer to be transferred from a source wafer carrier to a target wafer carrier, and may cause a light source to illuminate the semiconductor wafer. The device may cause a camera to capture images of the semiconductor wafer after the light source illuminates the semiconductor wafer, and may perform image recognition of the images of the semiconductor wafer to determine whether an edge of the semiconductor wafer is damaged. The device may cause the semiconductor wafer to be provided to the source wafer carrier when the edge of the semiconductor wafer is determined to be damaged, and may cause the semiconductor wafer to be provided to the target wafer carrier when the edge of the semiconductor wafer is determined to be undamaged.

BACKGROUND

New, fast-paced developments and technological breakthroughs in thesemiconductor manufacturing industry increases an importance of optimumutilization of resources. Newer semiconductor wafer fabrication plantsemphasize increased yields and reduced cycle times. Automated materialhandling systems are useful tools that help semiconductor waferfabrication plants achieve these objectives.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Aspects of the present disclosure are best understood from the followingdetailed description when read with the accompanying figures. It isnoted that, in accordance with the standard practice in the industry,various features are not drawn to scale. In fact, the dimensions of thevarious features may be arbitrarily increased or reduced for clarity ofdiscussion.

FIGS. 1A-1G are diagrams of one or more example implementationsdescribed herein.

FIG. 2 is a diagram of an example environment in which systems and/ormethods described herein may be implemented.

FIG. 3 is a diagram of example components of one or more devices of FIG.2.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart of an example process for detecting damagedsemiconductor wafers utilizing an automated optical inspection tool witha semiconductor wafer sorter tool of an automated materials handlingsystem.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following disclosure provides many different embodiments, orexamples, for implementing different features of the provided subjectmatter. Specific examples of components and arrangements are describedbelow to simplify the present disclosure. These are, of course, merelyexamples and are not intended to be limiting. For example, the formationof a first feature over or on a second feature in the description thatfollows may include embodiments in which the first and second featuresare formed in direct contact, and may also include embodiments in whichadditional features may be formed between the first and second features,such that the first and second features may not be in direct contact. Inaddition, the present disclosure may repeat reference numerals and/orletters in the various examples. This repetition is for the purpose ofsimplicity and clarity and does not in itself dictate a relationshipbetween the various embodiments and/or configurations discussed.

Further, spatially relative terms, such as “beneath,” “below,” “lower,”“above,” “upper” and the like, may be used herein for ease ofdescription to describe one element or feature's relationship to anotherelement(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. The spatiallyrelative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of thedevice in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted inthe figures. The apparatus may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degreesor at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors usedherein may likewise be interpreted accordingly.

In some instances, an automated materials handling system is utilized totransport semiconductor wafers, sort semiconductor wafers, and/or thelike. The mechanical equipment used in an automated materials handlingsystem includes sorters, conveyors, robotic arms, scanners,semiconductor wafer carriers, and/or the like. One such tool utilized inan automated materials handling system is a semiconductor wafer sortertool that sorts and transports semiconductor wafers. Semiconductorwafers are susceptible to damage, especially on edges of semiconductorwafers. However, semiconductor wafers are currently inspected for damageby humans before the semiconductor wafers are shipped. Furthermore,current automated materials handling systems only handle and transportsemiconductor wafers and do not inspect the semiconductor wafers fordamage. This results in a time-consuming, tedious, and error-proneprocess for detecting damaged semiconductor wafers that wastes resources(e.g., human resources, tool resources, manufacturing resources, and/orthe like) and creates an inflexible production requirement.

According to some implementations described herein, an automated opticalinspection tool may be utilized with a semiconductor wafer sorter toolof an automated materials handling system to automatically detectdamaged semiconductor wafers while the semiconductor wafers are beinghandled by the semiconductor wafer sorter tool. For example, theautomated optical inspection tool may detect a semiconductor wafer to betransferred from a source wafer carrier to a target wafer carrier, andmay cause a light source to illuminate the semiconductor wafer. Theautomated optical inspection tool may cause a camera to capture imagesof the semiconductor wafer after the light source illuminates thesemiconductor wafer, and may perform image recognition of the images ofthe semiconductor wafer to determine whether an edge of thesemiconductor wafer is damaged. The automated optical inspection toolmay cause the semiconductor wafer to be selectively provided to thesource wafer carrier or the target wafer carrier based on whether theedge of the semiconductor wafer is determined to be damaged. Thesemiconductor wafer may be provided to the source wafer carrier when theedge of the semiconductor wafer is determined to be damaged, and may beprovided to the target wafer carrier when the edge of the semiconductorwafer is determined to be undamaged.

In this way, the automated optical inspection tool may be utilized withthe semiconductor wafer sorter tool of the automated materials handlingsystem to automatically detect damaged semiconductor wafers while thesemiconductor wafers are being handled by the system. For example, theautomated optical inspection tool may capture images of thesemiconductor wafers and may perform image recognition of the capturedimages to identify damaged semiconductor wafers. Thus, the automatedoptical inspection tool may identify damaged semiconductor wafers priorto the semiconductor wafers being provided for shipping, may increasethroughput of semiconductor wafer production, may conserve resources(e.g., human resources, tool resources, and/or manufacturing resources),and/or the like.

FIGS. 1A-1G are diagrams 100 of one or more example implementationsdescribed herein. As shown in FIG. 1A, a source wafer carrier (e.g.,with multiple semiconductor wafers) and a target wafer carrier (e.g.,without any semiconductor wafers) may be associated with a semiconductorwafer sorter tool 105, an automated optical inspection (AOI) tool 110, asorter aligner 115 of semiconductor wafer sorter tool 105, a high-speedcamera 120 of AOI tool 110, and a coaxial light source 125 of AOI tool110.

Semiconductor wafer sorter tool 105 may include an automated materialshandling system tool that sorts and transports semiconductor wafers. Forexample, semiconductor wafer sorter tool 105 may automatically sortsemiconductor wafers, divide semiconductor wafers into groups, transfersemiconductor wafers from a source wafer carrier to a target wafercarrier, transfer semiconductor wafers from a target wafer carrier to asource wafer carrier, transfer semiconductor wafers to other tools ofthe automated materials handling system, and/or the like. In someimplementations, once the semiconductor wafers are sorted (e.g., betweensource wafer carrier and target wafer carrier), semiconductor wafersorter tool 105 causes the source wafer carrier and the target wafercarrier to be provided to other locations of a manufacturing facility.For example, semiconductor wafer sorter tool 105 may cause the sourcewafer carrier and/or the target wafer carrier (e.g., with damagedsemiconductor wafers) to be provided for quality control inspection, maycause the source wafer carrier and/or the target wafer carrier (e.g.,with undamaged semiconductor wafers) to be provided to other tools forfurther processing, may cause the source wafer carrier and/or the targetwafer carrier (e.g., with undamaged semiconductor wafers) to be preparedfor shipping, and/or the like.

Semiconductor wafer sorter tool 105 may transfer semiconductor wafers todifferent wafer carriers (e.g., different target wafer carriers) sincedifferent wafer carriers may be designated for different semiconductorprocesses, shipments, testing processes, and/or the like. For example,semiconductor wafer sorter tool 105 may provide a semiconductor wafer tobe diced to a corresponding wafer carrier designated for a dicingoperation. In some implementations, a semiconductor wafer includesidentification data (e.g., a numeric code, an alphanumeric code, a barcode, a QR code, and/or the like) on a top surface and/or a bottomsurface of the semiconductor wafer, and semiconductor wafer sorter tool105 may identify the semiconductor wafer based on the identificationdata.

In some implementations, semiconductor wafer sorter tool 105 may utilizesorter aligner 115 to identify a notch or a flat of the semiconductorwafer. A semiconductor wafer with a diameter of less than two-hundred(200) millimeters has a flat cut into one side. The flat allows for aprecise alignment of the semiconductor wafer for handling bysemiconductor wafer sorter tool 105 (e.g., by robotic components ofsemiconductor wafer sorter tool 105). A semiconductor wafer with adiameter greater than or equal to two-hundred (200) millimeters uses anotch instead of a flat. The notch on the edge of the semiconductorwafer also allows for a precise alignment of the semiconductor wafer,but takes up much less wafer surface. In some implementations, sorteraligner 115 includes a rotatable chuck that rotates the semiconductorwafer. In order to align the semiconductor wafer, sorter aligner 115 mayperform a pre-alignment that includes centering a center position of therotatable chuck of sorer aligner 115 with a center position of thesemiconductor wafer. After the pre-alignment, sorter aligner 115 mayperform an alignment that includes causing the rotatable chuck to rotatethe semiconductor wafer in order to identify (e.g., align) the flat orthe notch of the semiconductor wafer (e.g., using a detection method ofa charge coupled device (CCD) sensor). After the alignment, sorteraligner 115 may cause the rotatable chuck to rotate the semiconductorwafer again to re-check for the flat or the notch of the semiconductorwafer.

AOI tool 110 may include a tool that provides an automated visualinspection of a semiconductor wafer where a camera autonomously scansthe semiconductor wafer under test for catastrophic failure (e.g., amissing component), quality defects (e.g., a damaged edge of thesemiconductor wafer), and/or the like. Thus, AOI tool 110 provides anon-contact test method for semiconductor wafers. AOI tool 110 mayinclude high-speed camera 120 and coaxial light source 125. High-speedcamera 120 may include a camera that captures at least sixty frames ofimages per second. In some implementations, high-speed camera 120 mayinclude a camera that captures at least two hundred and fifty frames ofimages per second. High-speed camera 120 may include a resolution of 0.3megapixel, one megapixel, two megapixel, and/or the like. High-speedcamera 120 may capture images of a semiconductor wafer positioned onsorter aligner 115. In some implementations, a camera of AOI tool 110may be a high-speed camera since sorter aligner 115 rotates thesemiconductor wafer and a high-speed camera may be useful to accuratelycapture images of the rotating semiconductor wafer. High-speed camera120 may be positioned above the semiconductor wafer at a distance sothat high-speed camera 120 captures the entire semiconductor wafer in asingle frame, at a distance so that high-speed camera 120 captures aportion (e.g., a percentage) of the semiconductor in a single frame,and/or the like. In some implementations, high-speed camera 120 may bepositioned directly above the semiconductor wafer, at an angle relativeto a top surface of the semiconductor wafer to reduce reflection oflight from coaxial light source 125, and/or the like. In someimplementations, if coaxial light source 125 is not utilized or ispositioned below the semiconductor wafer, high-speed camera 125 may bepositioned directly below the semiconductor wafer, at an angle relativeto a bottom surface of the semiconductor wafer, and/or the like.

Coaxial light source 125 may provide a diffuse illumination of a sheetof light from a position above (e.g., directly above or at an angle to)the top surface a semiconductor wafer (e.g., positioned on sorteraligner 115). In some implementations, coaxial light source 125 may bepositioned below (e.g., directly below or at an angle to) the bottomsurface of the semiconductor wafer. In such implementations wherecoaxial light source 125 is positioned below the bottom surface of thesemiconductor wafer, high-speed camera 120 may also be positioned belowthe bottom surface of the semiconductor wafer. In some implementations,coaxial light source 125 may be utilized since a surface of asemiconductor wafer has a high degree of reflectivity, and coaxial lightis useful for such a surface. In some implementations, coaxial lightsource 125 may be replaced with a light source that illuminates thesemiconductor wafer from a position above the semiconductor wafer. Insome implementations, high-speed camera 120 may be capable of capturingimages without use of a dedicated light source, such as coaxial lightsource 125. In such implementations, high-speed camera 120 may bepositioned above or below the semiconductor wafer.

As further shown in FIG. 1A, and by reference number 130, semiconductorwafer sorter tool 105 may receive the source wafer carrier with themultiple semiconductor wafers and the target wafer carrier. For example,semiconductor wafer sorter tool 105 may receive the source wafer carrierand/or the target wafer carrier from one or more automated materialshandling system tools (e.g., robots, conveyors, and/or the like). Insome implementations, semiconductor wafer sorter tool 105 retrieves(e.g., with a robotic arm) a semiconductor wafer from the source wafercarrier.

As shown in FIG. 1B, and by reference number 135, semiconductor wafersorter tool 105 may provide a semiconductor wafer of the multiplesemiconductor wafers (e.g., obtained from the source wafer carrier) tosorter aligner 115. For example, semiconductor wafer sorter tool 105 mayobtain the semiconductor wafer from the source wafer carrier and mayprovide the semiconductor wafer on the rotatable chuck of sorter aligner115. The rotatable chuck may be sized and shaped to receive and retainthe semiconductor wafer. The rotatable chuck may include a vacuum thatretains the semiconductor wafer on the surface of the rotatable chuck,may include a surface friction that retains the semiconductor wafer onthe surface of the rotatable chuck, and/or the like.

As further shown in FIG. 1B, and by reference number 135, semiconductorwafer sorter tool 105 may cause sorter aligner 115 to rotate thesemiconductor wafer. For example, the rotatable chuck of sorter aligner115 may rotate and the vacuum, the surface friction, and/or the likeretaining the semiconductor wafer on the rotatable chuck may cause thesemiconductor wafer to rotate with the rotatable chuck. In someimplementations, sorter aligner 115 may rotate the semiconductor waferat a speed of two revolutions per second, three revolutions per second,and/or the like. In some implementations, AOI tool 110 is integratedwith sorter aligner 115 so that AOI tool 110 may inspect thesemiconductor wafer as sorter aligner 115 rotates the semiconductorwafer.

As shown in FIG. 1C, and by reference number 140, AOI tool 110 may causecoaxial light source 125 to illuminate the semiconductor wafer, as thesemiconductor wafer is rotated by sorter aligner 115. For example, AOItool 110 may receive a first signal indicating that sorter aligner 115is rotating or is about to rotate the semiconductor wafer, and mayprovide, to coaxial light source 125 and based on the first signal, asecond signal instructing coaxial light source 125 to energize andilluminate the semiconductor wafer. In some implementations, coaxiallight source 125 may provide a diffuse illumination of a sheet of lightfrom a position above the semiconductor wafer (e.g., rotating on sorteraligner 115) so that images may be captured by high-speed camera 120.

As further shown in FIG. 1C, and by reference number 140, AOI tool 110may cause high-speed camera 120 to capture images of the semiconductorwafer after coaxial light source 125 illuminates the semiconductorwafer. For example, AOI tool 110 may receive a first signal indicatingthat sorter aligner 115 is rotating or is about to rotate thesemiconductor wafer, and may provide, to high-speed camera 120 and basedon the first signal, a second signal instructing high-speed camera 120to energize and capture images of the semiconductor wafer. In someimplementations, high-speed camera 120 captures at least sixty frames,at least one-hundred and twenty frames, at least two-hundred and fortyframes, and/or the like of the images of the semiconductor wafer persecond. In some implementations, high-speed camera 120 captures imagesof the semiconductor wafer until sorter aligner 115 rotates thesemiconductor wafer at least one revolution. For example, if sorteraligner 115 rotates the semiconductor wafer two revolutions per second,then high-speed camera 120 may capture images of the semiconductor waferon or after 0.5 seconds, on or after one second, and/or the like. AOItool 110 may instruct high-speed camera 120 when to capture images ofthe semiconductor wafer and when to cease capturing images of thesemiconductor wafer.

As shown in FIG. 1D, and by reference number 145, AOI tool 110 mayperform image recognition of the images of the semiconductor wafer(e.g., captured by high-speed camera 120) to determine whether an edgeof the semiconductor wafer is damaged. For example, AOI tool 110 mayprocess the images of the semiconductor wafer, with an image recognitionmodel, to determine whether an edge of the semiconductor wafer isdamaged (e.g., includes one or more missing portions). In someimplementations, the image recognition model includes a convolutionalneural network model, a classification model, a support vector machinemodel, and/or like that is trained with historical image dataidentifying semiconductor wafers with damaged edges, semiconductorwafers with undamaged edges, and/or the like. For example, theconvolutional neural network model may be trained with performingfeature extraction and classification. In another example, features ofthe images may be manually extracted and the features may be utilized totrain the support vector machine model. In still another example, theclassification layers of the convolutional neural network model may beskipped and features extracted from different neural network layers maybe utilized to train the support vector machine model.

In some implementations, AOI tool 110 may train the image recognitionmodel with historical data (e.g., historical data identifyingsemiconductor wafers with damaged edges, semiconductor wafers withundamaged edges, and/or the like) to generate a trained imagerecognition model capable of determining whether an edge of asemiconductor wafer is damaged. AOI tool 110 may separate the historicaldata into a training set, a validation set, a test set, and/or the like.The training set may be utilized to train the image recognition model.The validation set may be utilized to validate results of the trainedimage recognition model. The test set may be utilized to test operationof the trained image recognition model.

In some implementations, AOI tool 110 may train the image recognitionmodel using, for example, an unsupervised training procedure and basedon the historical data. For example, AOI tool 110 may performdimensionality reduction to reduce the historical data to a minimumfeature set, thereby reducing resources (e.g., processing resources,memory resources, and/or the like) to train the image recognition model,and may apply a classification technique to the minimum feature set.

In some implementations, AOI tool 110 may use a logistic regressionclassification technique to determine a categorical outcome (e.g.,whether an edge of a semiconductor wafer is damaged). Additionally, oralternatively, AOI tool 110 may use a naïve Bayesian classifiertechnique. In this case, AOI tool 110 may perform binary recursivepartitioning to split the historical data into partitions and/orbranches, and use the partitions and/or branches to determine outcomes(e.g., whether an edge of a semiconductor wafer is damaged). Based onusing recursive partitioning, AOI tool 110 may reduce utilization ofcomputing resources relative to manual, linear sorting and analysis ofdata points, thereby enabling use of thousands, millions, or billions ofdata points to train the image recognition model, which may result inmore accurate models than using fewer data points.

Additionally, or alternatively, AOI tool 110 may use a support vectormachine (SVM) classifier technique to generate a non-linear boundarybetween data points in the training set. In this case, the non-linearboundary is used to classify test data into a particular class.

Additionally, or alternatively, AOI tool 110 may train the imagerecognition model using a supervised training procedure that includesreceiving input to the image recognition model from a subject matterexpert, which may reduce an amount of time, an amount of processingresources, and/or the like to train the image recognition model relativeto an unsupervised training procedure.

In some implementations, AOI tool 110 may use one or more other modeltraining techniques, such as a latent semantic indexing technique,and/or the like. For example, AOI tool 110 may perform an artificialneural network processing technique (e.g., using a two-layer feedforwardneural network architecture, a three-layer feedforward neural networkarchitecture, and/or the like) to perform pattern recognition withregard to patterns of the historical data. In this case, using theartificial neural network processing technique may improve an accuracyof the trained image recognition model generated by AOI tool 110 bymaking the model more robust to noisy, imprecise, or incomplete data,and by enabling AOI tool 110 to detect patterns and/or trendsundetectable to human analysts or systems using less complex techniques.

In some implementations, rather than training the image recognitionmodel, AOI tool 110 may obtain the trained image recognition model fromanother system or device that trained the image recognition model togenerate the trained image recognition model. In this case, AOI tool 110may provide the other system or device with the historical data for usein training the image recognition model, and may provide the othersystem or device with updated historical data to retrain the imagerecognition model in order to update the trained image recognitionmodel.

In some implementations, AOI tool 110 may perform the image recognitionof the images of the semiconductor wafer to determine whether the edgeof the semiconductor wafer is damaged while the semiconductor wafer isbeing transported from the source wafer carrier, while the semiconductorwafer is being sorted, while the semiconductor wafer is being rotated bysorter aligner 115, and/or the like. AOI tool 110 may perform the imagerecognition of the images of the semiconductor wafer to determine, inreal time or in near-real time (e.g., less than two to three seconds),whether the edge of the semiconductor wafer is damaged. When performingthe image recognition of the images of the semiconductor wafer, AOI tool110 may determine (e.g., via the image recognition) that one or moreportions of the edge of the semiconductor wafer are missing when thecaptured images of the semiconductor wafer include images that aredarker in color than a color of surface of the semiconductor wafer. Forexample, the semiconductor wafer may include a first color (e.g., greyor white) and missing portions (e.g., chipped edges) of thesemiconductor wafer may include a second color (e.g., black) that isdifferent from the first color. AOI tool 110 may determine that the edgeof the semiconductor wafer is damaged when a quantity of the one or moreportions satisfies a threshold quantity of portions (e.g., one portion,two portions, three portions, and/or the like).

When performing the image recognition of the images of the semiconductorwafer, AOI tool 110 may determine that one or more portions of the edgeof the semiconductor wafer are missing, and may calculate one or moreapproximate sizes (e.g., lengths, widths, areas, and/or the like)associated with the one or more portions of the edge of thesemiconductor wafer. For example, if the missing portions include thesecond color as described above, AOI tool 110 may calculate approximatesizes of the missing portions by approximating areas of n-sidedirregular polygons representing the missing portions (e.g., viacoordinate geometry, a model to determine an area of any polygon, and/orthe like). AOI tool 110 may determine that the edge of the semiconductorwafer is damaged when at least one size, of the one or more sizesassociated with the one or more portions, satisfies a threshold size(e.g., a particular length, a particular width, a particular area,and/or the like). When performing the image recognition of the images ofthe semiconductor wafer, AOI tool 110 may determine that one or moreportions of the edge of the semiconductor wafer are missing, maycalculate one or more sizes associated with the one or more portions ofthe edge of the semiconductor wafer, and may determine that the edge ofthe semiconductor wafer is damaged when a quantity of the one or moreportions satisfies a threshold quantity of portions and/or when at leastone size, of the one or more sizes associated with the one or moreportions, satisfies a threshold size.

As further shown in FIG. 1D, the semiconductor wafer may include acircular-shaped wafer and the edge of the semiconductor wafer mayinclude a perimeter of the circular-shaped wafer. Thus, a semiconductorwafer with a damaged edge is missing one or more portions (e.g., and/orwith one or more sizes, shown in black) of the perimeter of thecircular-shaped wafer, and a semiconductor wafer with an undamaged edgeis not missing any portions of the perimeter of the circular-shapedwafer, is not missing more than the threshold quantity of portions, isnot missing at least one size that satisfies a threshold size, and/orthe like.

As shown in FIG. 1E, and by reference number 150, AOI tool 110 mayprovide, to semiconductor wafer sorter tool 105, identification dataidentifying the semiconductor wafer and damage data indicating whetherthe edge of the semiconductor wafer is damaged or undamaged. Forexample, AOI 110 may capture the identification data identifying thesemiconductor wafer (e.g., the numeric code, the alphanumeric code, thebar code, the QR code, and/or the like) on the top surface (e.g., whenhigh-speed camera 120 is located above the semiconductor wafer) and/orthe bottom surface (e.g., when high-speed camera 120 is located belowthe semiconductor wafer) of the semiconductor wafer during performanceof the image recognition, and may provide the identification data tosemiconductor wafer sorter tool 105. Alternatively, or additionally,sorter aligner 115 may determine the identification data and may providethe identification data to semiconductor wafer sorter tool 105. AOI tool110 may determine the damage data based on performance of the imagerecognition, and may provide the damage data to semiconductor wafersorter tool 105.

As shown in FIG. 1F, and by reference number 155, semiconductor wafersorter tool 105 may return the semiconductor wafer to the source wafercarrier based on the identification data and when the damage dataindicates that the edge of the semiconductor wafer is damaged. Forexample, semiconductor wafer sorter tool 105 may cause sorter aligner115 and the semiconductor wafer to stop rotating, and may utilizerobotics to remove the semiconductor wafer from sorter aligner 115.Semiconductor wafer sorter tool 105 may utilize robotics to transportthe semiconductor wafer from sorter aligner to the source wafer carrier,and may utilize robotics to place the semiconductor wafer in the sourcewafer carrier. If the semiconductor wafer is determined to be damaged,the semiconductor wafer may not be provided to the target wafer carriersince the target wafer carrier may be designated for undamagedsemiconductor wafers that require further processing, shipment, and/orthe like. Furthermore, damaged semiconductor wafers may be returned tothe source wafer carrier since the source wafer carrier may bedesignated for semiconductor wafers that require quality controltesting. Thus, semiconductor wafer sorter tool 105 may return thedamaged semiconductor wafer to the source wafer carrier. In someimplementations, semiconductor wafer sorter tool 105 may provide thesemiconductor wafer to the target wafer carrier (instead of the sourcewafer carrier) based on the identification data and when the damage dataindicates that the edge of the semiconductor wafer is damaged.

As further shown in FIG. 1F, and by reference number 160, semiconductorwafer sorter tool 105 may provide the semiconductor wafer to the targetwafer carrier based on the identification data and when the damage dataindicates that the edge of the semiconductor wafer is undamaged (e.g.,in a similar manner as described above for provision of thesemiconductor wafer to the source wafer carrier). For example, thesemiconductor wafer may be provided to the target wafer carrier sincethe target wafer carrier may be designated for undamaged semiconductorwafers that require further processing, shipment, and/or the like. Thus,semiconductor wafer sorter tool 105 may return the undamagedsemiconductor wafer to the target wafer carrier. In someimplementations, semiconductor wafer sorter tool 105 may provide thesemiconductor wafer to the source wafer carrier (instead of the targetwafer carrier) based on the identification data and when the damage dataindicates that the edge of the semiconductor wafer is undamaged.

As shown in FIG. 1G, and by reference number 165, semiconductor wafersorter tool 105 may cause the source wafer carrier with one or moredamaged semiconductor wafers to be provided for quality controlinspection. For example, semiconductor wafer sorter tool 105 may causethe source wafer carrier to be provided to an automated materialshandling system that transports the source wafer carrier to a locationassociated with the quality control inspection of damaged semiconductorwafers. In some implementations, semiconductor wafer sorter tool 105 mayprovide at least one of the images of the semiconductor wafer fordisplay (e.g., to a user of semiconductor wafer sorter tool 105 and/or auser of AOI tool 110), for storage in a storage device for lateranalysis, and/or the like when the edge of the semiconductor wafer isdetermined to be damaged.

As further shown in FIG. 1G, and by reference number 170, semiconductorwafer sorter tool 105 may cause the target wafer carrier with one ormore undamaged semiconductor wafers to be provided for shipment, furtherprocessing, and/or the like. For example, semiconductor wafer sortertool 105 may cause the target wafer carrier to be provided to anautomated materials handling system that transports the target wafercarrier to a location associated with shipment of undamagedsemiconductor wafers, to a location associated with further processingof undamaged semiconductor wafers, and/or the like.

In this way, AOI tool 110 may be utilized with semiconductor wafersorter tool 105 to automatically determine whether semiconductor wafersare damaged or undamaged while the semiconductor wafers are beinghandled by semiconductor wafer sorter tool 105. For example, AOI tool110 may capture images of a semiconductor wafer while the semiconductorwafer is being rotated by sorter aligner 115 of semiconductor wafersorter tool 105. AOI tool 110 may perform image recognition of thecaptured images to determine whether the semiconductor wafer is damaged.If the semiconductor wafer is damaged, the semiconductor wafer may betransported to quality control inspection to determine whether thesemiconductor wafer may be salvaged. If the semiconductor wafer isundamaged, the semiconductor wafer may be transported for furtherprocessing. Thus, AOI tool 110 may identify damaged semiconductor wafersprior to the semiconductor wafers being provided for shipping, mayincrease throughput of semiconductor wafer production, may conserveresources (e.g., human resources, tool resources, and/or manufacturingresources), and/or the like.

As indicated above, FIGS. 1A-1G are provided merely as examples. Otherexamples may differ from what was described with regard to FIGS. 1A-1G.The number and arrangement of devices and/or components shown in FIGS.1A-1G are provided as an example. In practice, there may be additionaldevices and/or components, fewer devices and/or components, differentdevices and/or components, or differently arranged devices and/orcomponents than those shown in FIGS. 1A-1G. Furthermore, two or moredevices shown in FIGS. 1A-1G may be implemented within a single device,or a single device shown in FIGS. 1A-1G may be implemented as multiple,distributed devices. Additionally, or alternatively, a set of devices(e.g., one or more devices) of FIGS. 1A-1G may perform one or morefunctions described as being performed by another set of devices ofFIGS. 1A-1G.

FIG. 2 is a diagram of an example environment 200 in which systemsand/or methods described herein may be implemented. As shown in FIG. 2,example environment 200 may include semiconductor wafer sorter tool 105,AOI tool 110, and a network 210. Devices and/or networks of exampleenvironment 200 may interconnect via wired connections, wirelessconnections, or a combination of wired and wireless connections.

Semiconductor wafer sorter tool 105 includes a tool that sorts andtransports semiconductor wafers. For example, semiconductor wafer sortertool 105 may automatically sort, divide, and/or transfer semiconductorwafers from any wafer carrier (e.g., a plastic transport wafer carrier,a plastic process wafer carrier, a metal transport wafer carrier, ametal process wafer carrier) to any other wafer carrier regardless of aquantity of slots in the wafer carriers. In some implementations,semiconductor wafer sorter tool 105 communicates with AOI tool 110 vianetwork 210, includes AOI tool 110 as a component, and/or the like.Further details of semiconductor wafer sorter tool 105 and sorteraligner 115 are provided above in connection with one or more of FIGS.1A-1G.

AOI tool 110 includes a tool that provides an automated visualinspection of a semiconductor wafer where a camera (e.g., high-speedcamera 120 that captures at least sixty (60) frames of images persecond) autonomously scans the semiconductor wafer under test forcatastrophic failure (e.g., a missing component), quality defects (e.g.,a damaged edge of the semiconductor wafer), and/or the like. In someimplementations, AOI tool 110 includes a light source (e.g., coaxiallight source 125) that provides a diffuse illumination of a sheet oflight from a position above a semiconductor wafer while the cameracaptures images of the semiconductor wafer. In some implementations, AOItool 110 performs image recognition of the images of the semiconductorwafer captured by the camera to determine whether an edge of thesemiconductor wafer is damaged. In some implementations, AOI toolcommunicates with semiconductor wafer sorter tool 105 via network 210,is included as a component of semiconductor wafer sorter tool 105,and/or the like. Further details of AOI tool 110, high-speed camera 120,coaxial light source 125 are provided above in connection with one ormore of FIGS. 1A-1G.

Network 210 includes one or more wired and/or wireless networks. Forexample, network 210 may include a local area network (LAN), a wide areanetwork (WAN), a metropolitan area network (MAN), a private network, anad hoc network, an intranet, the Internet, a fiber optic-based network,and/or the like, and/or a combination of these or other types ofnetworks.

The number and arrangement of devices and networks shown in FIG. 2 areprovided as an example. In practice, there may be additional devicesand/or networks, fewer devices and/or networks, different devices and/ornetworks, or differently arranged devices and/or networks than thoseshown in FIG. 2. Furthermore, two or more devices shown in FIG. 2 may beimplemented within a single device, or a single device shown in FIG. 2may be implemented as multiple, distributed devices. Additionally, oralternatively, a set of devices (e.g., one or more devices) of exampleenvironment 200 may perform one or more functions described as beingperformed by another set of devices of example environment 200.

FIG. 3 is a diagram of example components of a device 300. Device 300may correspond to semiconductor wafer sorter tool 105 and/or AOI tool110. In some implementations, semiconductor wafer sorter tool 105 and/orAOI tool 110 may include one or more devices 300 and/or one or morecomponents of device 300. As shown in FIG. 3, device 300 may include abus 310, a processor 320, a memory 330, a storage component 340, aninput component 350, an output component 360, and a communicationinterface 370.

Bus 310 includes a component that permits communication among thecomponents of device 300. Processor 320 is implemented in hardware,firmware, or a combination of hardware and software. Processor 320 is acentral processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), anaccelerated processing unit (APU), a microprocessor, a microcontroller,a digital signal processor (DSP), a field-programmable gate array(FPGA), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or anothertype of processing component. In some implementations, processor 320includes one or more processors capable of being programmed to perform afunction. Memory 330 includes a random-access memory (RAM), a read onlymemory (ROM), and/or another type of dynamic or static storage device(e.g., a flash memory, a magnetic memory, and/or an optical memory) thatstores information and/or instructions for use by processor 320.

Storage component 340 stores information and/or software related to theoperation and use of device 300. For example, storage component 340 mayinclude a hard disk (e.g., a magnetic disk, an optical disk, amagneto-optic disk, and/or a solid state disk), a compact disc (CD), adigital versatile disc (DVD), a floppy disk, a cartridge, a magnetictape, and/or another type of non-transitory computer-readable medium,along with a corresponding drive.

Input component 350 includes a component that permits device 300 toreceive information, such as via user input (e.g., a touch screendisplay, a keyboard, a keypad, a mouse, a button, a switch, and/or amicrophone). Additionally, or alternatively, input component 350 mayinclude a sensor for sensing information (e.g., a global positioningsystem (GPS) component, an accelerometer, a gyroscope, and/or anactuator). Output component 360 includes a component that providesoutput information from device 300 (e.g., a display, a speaker, and/orone or more LEDs).

Communication interface 370 includes a transceiver-like component (e.g.,a transceiver and/or a separate receiver and transmitter) that enablesdevice 300 to communicate with other devices, such as via a wiredconnection, a wireless connection, or a combination of wired andwireless connections. Communication interface 370 may permit device 300to receive information from another device and/or provide information toanother device. For example, communication interface 370 may include anEthernet interface, an optical interface, a coaxial interface, aninfrared interface, an RF interface, a universal serial bus (USB)interface, a wireless local area interface, a cellular networkinterface, and/or the like.

Device 300 may perform one or more processes described herein. Device300 may perform these processes based on processor 320 executingsoftware instructions stored by a non-transitory computer-readablemedium, such as memory 330 and/or storage component 340. Acomputer-readable medium is defined herein as a non-transitory memorydevice. A memory device includes memory space within a single physicalstorage device or memory space spread across multiple physical storagedevices.

Software instructions may be read into memory 330 and/or storagecomponent 340 from another computer-readable medium or from anotherdevice via communication interface 370. When executed, softwareinstructions stored in memory 330 and/or storage component 340 may causeprocessor 320 to perform one or more processes described herein.Additionally, or alternatively, hardwired circuitry may be used in placeof or in combination with software instructions to perform one or moreprocesses described herein. Thus, implementations described herein arenot limited to any specific combination of hardware circuitry andsoftware.

The number and arrangement of components shown in FIG. 3 are provided asan example. In practice, device 300 may include additional components,fewer components, different components, or differently arrangedcomponents than those shown in FIG. 3. Additionally, or alternatively, aset of components (e.g., one or more components) of device 300 mayperform one or more functions described as being performed by anotherset of components of device 300.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart of an example process 400 for detecting damagedsemiconductor wafers utilizing an automated optical inspection with asemiconductor wafer sorter tool of automated materials handling system.In some implementations, one or more process blocks of FIG. 4 may beperformed by a device (e.g., AOI tool 110). In some implementations, oneor more process blocks of FIG. 4 may be performed by another device or agroup of devices separate from or including the device, such asemiconductor wafer sorter tool (e.g., semiconductor wafer sorter tool105). Additionally, or alternatively, one or more process blocks of FIG.4 may be performed by one or more components of device 300, such asprocessor 320, memory 330, storage component 340, input component 350,output component 360, communication interface 370, and/or the like.

As shown in FIG. 4, process 400 may include detecting a semiconductorwafer to be transferred from a source wafer carrier to a target wafercarrier (block 410). For example, the device may detect a semiconductorwafer to be transferred from a source wafer carrier to a target wafercarrier, as described above.

As further shown in FIG. 4, process 400 may include causing a lightsource to illuminate the semiconductor wafer (block 420). For example,the device may cause a light source to illuminate the semiconductorwafer, as described above.

As further shown in FIG. 4, process 400 may include causing a camera tocapture images of the semiconductor wafer after the light sourceilluminates the semiconductor wafer (block 430). For example, the devicemay cause a camera to capture images of the semiconductor wafer afterthe light source illuminates the semiconductor wafer, as describedabove.

As further shown in FIG. 4, process 400 may include performing imagerecognition of the images of the semiconductor wafer to determinewhether an edge of the semiconductor wafer is damaged (block 440). Forexample, the device may perform image recognition of the images of thesemiconductor wafer to determine whether an edge of the semiconductorwafer is damaged, as described above.

As further shown in FIG. 4, process 400 may include causing thesemiconductor wafer to be selectively provided to the source wafercarrier or the target wafer carrier based on whether the edge of thesemiconductor wafer is determined to be damaged, wherein thesemiconductor wafer is to be provided to the source wafer carrier whenthe edge of the semiconductor wafer is determined to be damaged, andwherein the semiconductor wafer is to be provided to the target wafercarrier when the edge of the semiconductor wafer is determined to beundamaged (block 450). For example, the device may cause thesemiconductor wafer to be selectively provided to the source wafercarrier or the target wafer carrier based on whether the edge of thesemiconductor wafer is determined to be damaged, as described above. Insome implementations, the semiconductor wafer is to be provided to thesource wafer carrier when the edge of the semiconductor wafer isdetermined to be damaged. In some implementations, the semiconductorwafer is to be provided to the target wafer carrier when the edge of thesemiconductor wafer is determined to be undamaged.

Process 400 may include additional implementations, such as any singleimplementation or any combination of implementations described belowand/or in connection with one or more other processes describedelsewhere herein.

In a first implementation, process 400 includes rotating thesemiconductor wafer, and causing the camera to capture the images of thesemiconductor wafer after the light source illuminates the semiconductorwafer include causing the camera to capture the images of thesemiconductor wafer after the light source illuminates the semiconductorwafer and while the semiconductor wafer is rotating.

In a second implementation, alone or in combination with the firstimplementation, performing the image recognition of the images of thesemiconductor wafer to determine whether the edge of the semiconductorwafer is damaged includes performing the image recognition of the imagesof the semiconductor wafer to determine whether the edge of thesemiconductor wafer is damaged while the semiconductor wafer is beingtransported from the source wafer carrier; performing the imagerecognition of the images of the semiconductor wafer to determinewhether the edge of the semiconductor wafer is damaged while thesemiconductor wafer is being sorted; or performing the image recognitionof the images of the semiconductor wafer to determine whether the edgeof the semiconductor wafer is damaged while the semiconductor wafer isbeing rotated.

In a third implementation, alone or in combination with one or more ofthe first and second implementations, the light source includes acoaxial light source that provides a diffuse illumination of a sheet oflight from a position above the semiconductor wafer.

In a fourth implementation, alone or in combination with one or more ofthe first through third implementations, the camera includes ahigh-speed camera that captures at least sixty frames of the images persecond.

In a fifth implementation, alone or in combination with one or more ofthe first through fourth implementations, performing the imagerecognition of the images of the semiconductor wafer to determinewhether the edge of the semiconductor wafer is damaged includesperforming the image recognition of the images of the semiconductorwafer to determine, in near-real time, whether the edge of thesemiconductor wafer is damaged.

In a sixth implementation, alone or in combination with one or more ofthe first through fifth implementations, performing the imagerecognition of the images of the semiconductor wafer to determinewhether the edge of the semiconductor wafer is damaged includesdetermining that one or more portions of the edge of the semiconductorwafer are missing, and determining that the edge of the semiconductorwafer is damaged when a quantity of the one or more portions satisfies athreshold.

In a seventh implementation, alone or in combination with one or more ofthe first through sixth implementations, process 400 includesdetermining that one or more portions of the edge of the semiconductorwafer are missing; calculating one or more sizes associated with the oneor more portions of the edge of the semiconductor wafer; and determiningthat the edge of the semiconductor wafer is damaged when at least onesize, of the one or more sizes associated with the one or more portions,satisfies a threshold.

In an eighth implementation, alone or in combination with one or more ofthe first through seventh implementations, process 400 includes causingthe source wafer carrier, with at least one damaged semiconductor wafer,to be provided for quality control inspection; and causing the targetwafer carrier, with at least one undamaged semiconductor wafer, to beprovided for further processing.

In a ninth implementation, alone or in combination with one or more ofthe first through eighth implementations, process 400 includesdetermining that one or more portions of the edge of the semiconductorwafer are missing; calculating one or more sizes associated with the oneor more portions of the edge of the semiconductor wafer; and determiningthat the edge of the semiconductor wafer is damaged when a quantity ofthe one or more portions satisfies a first threshold or when at leastone size, of the one or more sizes associated with the one or moreportions, satisfies a second threshold.

In a tenth implementation, alone or in combination with one or more ofthe first through ninth implementations, the semiconductor wafer is acircular-shaped wafer and the edge of the semiconductor wafer is aperimeter of the circular-shaped wafer.

In an eleventh implementation, alone or in combination with one or moreof the first through tenth implementations, process 400 includesproviding the semiconductor wafer to one or more tools for furtherprocessing when the edge of the semiconductor wafer is undamaged; orproviding at least one of the images of the semiconductor wafer fordisplay when the edge of the semiconductor wafer is determined to bedamaged.

In a twelfth implementation, alone or in combination with one or more ofthe first through eleventh implementations, the determination of whetherthe edge of the semiconductor wafer is damaged occurs less than threeseconds after detecting the semiconductor wafer.

Although FIG. 4 shows example blocks of process 400, in someimplementations, process 400 may include additional blocks, fewerblocks, different blocks, or differently arranged blocks than thosedepicted in FIG. 4. Additionally, or alternatively, two or more of theblocks of process 400 may be performed in parallel.

In this way, AOI tool 110 may be utilized with semiconductor wafersorter tool 105 of the automated materials handling system toautomatically detect damaged semiconductor wafers while thesemiconductor wafers are being handled by the system. For example, theAOI tool 110 may capture images of the semiconductor wafers and mayperform image recognition of the captured images to identify damagedsemiconductor wafers. Thus, AOI tool 110 may identify damagedsemiconductor wafers prior to the semiconductor wafers being providedfor shipping, may increase throughput of semiconductor wafer production,may conserve resources (e.g., human resources, tool resources, and/ormanufacturing resources), and/or the like.

As described in greater detail above, some implementations describedherein provide a method for detecting damaged semiconductor wafers. Themethod may include detecting a semiconductor wafer to be transferredfrom a source wafer carrier to a target wafer carrier, and causing alight source to illuminate the semiconductor wafer. The method mayinclude causing a camera to capture images of the semiconductor waferafter the light source illuminates the semiconductor wafer, andperforming image recognition of the images of the semiconductor wafer todetermine whether an edge of the semiconductor wafer is damaged. Themethod may include causing the semiconductor wafer to be selectivelyprovided to the source wafer carrier or the target wafer carrier basedon whether the edge of the semiconductor wafer is determined to bedamaged, where the semiconductor wafer is to be provided to the sourcewafer carrier when the edge of the semiconductor wafer is determined tobe damaged, and where the semiconductor wafer is to be provided to thetarget wafer carrier when the edge of the semiconductor wafer isdetermined to be undamaged.

As described in greater detail above, some implementations describedherein provide a device for detecting damaged semiconductor wafers. Thedevice may include one or more memories and one or more processors todetect a semiconductor wafer to be transferred from a source wafercarrier to a target wafer carrier, and cause the semiconductor wafer torotate with a sorter aligner component of the device. The one or moreprocessors may cause a coaxial light source, of an automated opticalinspection component of the device, to illuminate the semiconductorwafer, and may cause a high-speed camera, of the automated opticalinspection component, to capture images of the semiconductor wafer afterthe coaxial light source illuminates the semiconductor wafer. The one ormore processors may perform image recognition of the images of thesemiconductor wafer to determine whether an edge of the semiconductorwafer is damaged, and may cause the semiconductor wafer to beselectively provided to the source wafer carrier or the target wafercarrier based on whether the edge of the semiconductor wafer isdetermined to be damaged. The semiconductor wafer may be provided to thesource wafer carrier when the edge of the semiconductor wafer isdetermined to be damaged, and may be provided to the target wafercarrier when the edge of the semiconductor wafer is determined to beundamaged.

As described in greater detail above, some implementations describedherein provide a non-transitory computer-readable medium for detectingdamaged semiconductor wafers. The non-transitory computer-readablemedium may store one or more instructions that, when executed by one ormore processors of a semiconductor wafer sorter tool, may cause the oneor more processors to receive a semiconductor wafer, and cause thesemiconductor wafer to rotate with a sorter aligner component of thesemiconductor wafer sorter tool. The one or more instructions may causethe one or more processors to cause a camera, of an automated opticalinspection component of the semiconductor wafer sorter tool, to captureimages of the semiconductor wafer, and perform, by the automated opticalinspection component, image recognition of the images of thesemiconductor wafer to determine whether an edge of the semiconductorwafer is damaged. The one or more instructions may cause the one or moreprocessors to selectively provide the semiconductor wafer for qualitycontrol inspection when the edge of the semiconductor wafer isdetermined to be damaged, or provide the semiconductor wafer to one ormore tools for further processing when the edge of the semiconductorwafer is determined to be undamaged.

The foregoing outlines features of several embodiments so that thoseskilled in the art may better understand the aspects of the presentdisclosure. Those skilled in the art should appreciate that they mayreadily use the present disclosure as a basis for designing or modifyingother processes and structures for carrying out the same purposes and/orachieving the same advantages of the embodiments introduced herein.Those skilled in the art should also realize that such equivalentconstructions do not depart from the spirit and scope of the presentdisclosure, and that those skilled in the art may make various changes,substitutions, and alterations herein without departing from the spiritand scope of the present disclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method, comprising: detecting a semiconductorwafer to be transferred from a source wafer carrier to a target wafercarrier; causing a light source to illuminate the semiconductor wafer;causing a camera to capture images of the semiconductor wafer after thelight source illuminates the semiconductor wafer; performing imagerecognition of the images of the semiconductor wafer to determinewhether an edge of the semiconductor wafer is damaged; and causing thesemiconductor wafer to be selectively provided to the source wafercarrier or the target wafer carrier based on whether the edge of thesemiconductor wafer is determined to be damaged, wherein thesemiconductor wafer is to be provided to the source wafer carrier whenthe edge of the semiconductor wafer is determined to be damaged, andwherein the semiconductor wafer is to be provided to the target wafercarrier when the edge of the semiconductor wafer is determined to beundamaged.
 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: rotating thesemiconductor wafer, wherein causing the camera to capture the images ofthe semiconductor wafer after the light source illuminates thesemiconductor wafer comprises: causing the camera to capture the imagesof the semiconductor wafer after the light source illuminates thesemiconductor wafer and while the semiconductor wafer is rotating. 3.The method of claim 1, wherein performing the image recognition of theimages of the semiconductor wafer to determine whether the edge of thesemiconductor wafer is damaged comprises one or more of: performing theimage recognition of the images of the semiconductor wafer to determinewhether the edge of the semiconductor wafer is damaged while thesemiconductor wafer is being transported from the source wafer carrier;performing the image recognition of the images of the semiconductorwafer to determine whether the edge of the semiconductor wafer isdamaged while the semiconductor wafer is being sorted; or performing theimage recognition of the images of the semiconductor wafer to determinewhether the edge of the semiconductor wafer is damaged while thesemiconductor wafer is being rotated.
 4. The method of claim 1, whereinthe light source includes a coaxial light source that provides a diffuseillumination of a sheet of light from a position above the semiconductorwafer.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the camera includes ahigh-speed camera that captures at least sixty frames of the images persecond.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein performing the imagerecognition of the images of the semiconductor wafer to determinewhether the edge of the semiconductor wafer is damaged comprises:performing the image recognition of the images of the semiconductorwafer to determine, in near-real time, whether the edge of thesemiconductor wafer is damaged.
 7. The method of claim 1, whereinperforming the image recognition of the images of the semiconductorwafer to determine whether the edge of the semiconductor wafer isdamaged comprises: determining that one or more portions of the edge ofthe semiconductor wafer are missing; and determining that the edge ofthe semiconductor wafer is damaged when a quantity of the one or moreportions satisfies a threshold.
 8. A device, comprising: one or morememories; and one or more processors, communicatively coupled to the oneor more memories, configured to: detect a semiconductor wafer to betransferred from a source wafer carrier to a target wafer carrier; causethe semiconductor wafer to rotate with a sorter aligner component of thedevice; cause a coaxial light source, of an automated optical inspectioncomponent of the device, to illuminate the semiconductor wafer; cause ahigh-speed camera, of the automated optical inspection component, tocapture images of the semiconductor wafer after the coaxial light sourceilluminates the semiconductor wafer; perform image recognition of theimages of the semiconductor wafer to determine whether an edge of thesemiconductor wafer is damaged; and cause the semiconductor wafer to beselectively provided to the source wafer carrier or the target wafercarrier based on whether the edge of the semiconductor wafer isdetermined to be damaged, wherein the semiconductor wafer is to beprovided to the source wafer carrier when the edge of the semiconductorwafer is determined to be damaged, and wherein the semiconductor waferis to be provided to the target wafer carrier when the edge of thesemiconductor wafer is determined to be undamaged.
 9. The device ofclaim 8, wherein the one or more processors, when performing the imagerecognition of the images of the semiconductor wafer to determinewhether the edge of the semiconductor wafer is damaged, are configuredto: determine that one or more portions of the edge of the semiconductorwafer are missing; calculate one or more sizes associated with the oneor more portions of the edge of the semiconductor wafer; and determinethat the edge of the semiconductor wafer is damaged when at least onesize, of the one or more sizes associated with the one or more portions,satisfies a threshold.
 10. The device of claim 8, wherein the one ormore processors are further configured to: cause the source wafercarrier, with at least one damaged semiconductor wafer, to be providedfor quality control inspection; and cause the target wafer carrier, withat least one undamaged semiconductor wafer, to be provided for furtherprocessing.
 11. The device of claim 8, wherein the one or moreprocessors, when performing the image recognition of the images of thesemiconductor wafer to determine whether the edge of the semiconductorwafer is damaged, are configured to: determine that one or more portionsof the edge of the semiconductor wafer are missing; calculate one ormore sizes associated with the one or more portions of the edge of thesemiconductor wafer; and determine that the edge of the semiconductorwafer is damaged when a quantity of the one or more portions satisfies afirst threshold or when at least one size, of the one or more sizesassociated with the one or more portions, satisfies a second threshold.12. The device of claim 8, wherein the semiconductor wafer is acircular-shaped wafer and the edge of the semiconductor wafer is aperimeter of the circular-shaped wafer.
 13. The device of claim 8,wherein the one or more processors are further configured to one of:provide the semiconductor wafer to one or more tools for furtherprocessing when the edge of the semiconductor wafer is undamaged; orprovide at least one of the images of the semiconductor wafer fordisplay when the edge of the semiconductor wafer is determined to bedamaged.
 14. The device of claim 8, wherein the determination of whetherthe edge of the semiconductor wafer is damaged occurs less than threeseconds after detecting the semiconductor wafer.
 15. A non-transitorycomputer-readable medium storing instructions, the instructionscomprising: one or more instructions that, when executed by one or moreprocessors of a semiconductor wafer sorter tool, cause the one or moreprocessors to: receive a semiconductor wafer; cause the semiconductorwafer to rotate with a sorter aligner component of the semiconductorwafer sorter tool; cause a camera, of an automated optical inspectioncomponent of the semiconductor wafer sorter tool, to capture images ofthe semiconductor wafer; perform, by the automated optical inspectioncomponent, image recognition of the images of the semiconductor wafer todetermine whether an edge of the semiconductor wafer is damaged; andselectively: provide the semiconductor wafer for quality controlinspection when the edge of the semiconductor wafer is determined to bedamaged; or provide the semiconductor wafer to one or more tools forfurther processing when the edge of the semiconductor wafer isdetermined to be undamaged.
 16. The non-transitory computer-readablemedium of claim 15, wherein the one or more instructions, that cause theone or more processors to perform the image recognition of the images ofthe semiconductor wafer to determine whether the edge of thesemiconductor wafer is damaged, cause the one or more processors to:determine whether one or more portions of the edge of the semiconductorwafer are missing; and determine that the edge of the semiconductorwafer is damaged when a quantity of the one or more portions satisfies athreshold.
 17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15,wherein the one or more instructions, that cause the one or moreprocessors to perform the image recognition of the images of thesemiconductor wafer to determine whether the edge of the semiconductorwafer is damaged, cause the one or more processors to: determine thatone or more portions of the edge of the semiconductor wafer are missing;calculate one or more sizes associated with the one or more portions ofthe edge of the semiconductor wafer; and determine that the edge of thesemiconductor wafer is damaged when at least one size, of the one ormore sizes associated with the one or more portions, satisfies athreshold.
 18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15,wherein the one or more instructions, when executed by the one or moreprocessors, further cause the one or more processors to: provide atleast one of the images of the semiconductor wafer for display when theedge of the semiconductor wafer is determined to be damaged.
 19. Thenon-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the one ormore instructions, that cause the one or more processors to perform theimage recognition of the images of the semiconductor wafer to determinewhether the edge of the semiconductor wafer is damaged, cause the one ormore processors to: determine that one or more portions of the edge ofthe semiconductor wafer are missing; calculate one or more sizesassociated with the one or more portions of the edge of thesemiconductor wafer; and determine that the edge of the semiconductorwafer is damaged when a quantity of the one or more portions satisfies afirst threshold or when at least one size, of the one or more sizesassociated with the one or more portions, satisfies a second threshold.20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein theone or more instructions, that cause the one or more processors toperform the image recognition of the images of the semiconductor waferto determine whether the edge of the semiconductor wafer is damaged,cause the one or more processors to: perform the image recognition ofthe images of the semiconductor wafer to determine, in real-time ornear-real time, whether the edge of the semiconductor wafer is damaged.